ally_uk Posted Sunday at 09:04 Posted Sunday at 09:04 My Thoughts on Saints. Looks like a few bad apples are still sour over Martin’s departure. Take Downes, for example — throwing his toys out of the pram after being denied a move to Ipswich. Adam Armstrong, Fraser, and Archer — all feeling a bit rattled too. Personally, I think the lads had it easy under Martin — he was too matey with the players. Juric has come in, ruffled a few feathers, and set higher standards. Now a few players with weak mentalities / stubbornness to change are throwing hissy fits. In the grand scheme of things, this is a golden opportunity to clear out the toxic individuals and bottle jobs. Sell anyone who doesn't give 100% in training or refuses to commit to new philosophies and ways of playing. No room for passengers. Players like Downes whinging? If it carries on, stick them in the reserves and fine them — make an example of it. Can we get some clarity on the Bella-Kotchap situation? Does he actually want to play for us, or is he just giving it the Bobby Big Bollocks? Lastly, can we get an update on Ross Stewart? Is the man actually capable of stepping on a blade of grass without shattering? Moving forwards: Clear the decks — sell anyone who lacks commitment or heart. If we can build around Tyler Dibling and Fernandes realistically I can't see both staying but they are highlights in what has been a shit season and the future of out club Bring in a couple of experienced players with aggression, leadership, grit, and steel. We need proper units — athletes with real presence and engines who can run allday look at the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and some of the build and height and presence of players in the Newcastle team as a example, big strong lads! No nonsense or pissing about straight in with the tough tackling Right now, players like Smallbone look like kids on the pitch, getting dispossessed by a gust of wind, let alone the opposition. Far too lightweight for the Premier League. Get it back to basics! New Director of Football with direction and philosophy. Manager on the same wavelength Coaches who are capable of coaching. New Scouting Setup, let's not dress it up they have failed miserably this season! 9
SaintNewForest Posted Sunday at 09:06 Posted Sunday at 09:06 Downes is training with the U21s as far as I know, so that's a good start if he's acting the prick. 5
ally_uk Posted Sunday at 09:42 Author Posted Sunday at 09:42 35 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said: Downes is training with the U21s as far as I know, so that's a good start if he's acting the prick. GOOD! fed up of players thinking they are more important than the club. 6
Matthew Le God Posted Sunday at 09:45 Posted Sunday at 09:45 36 minutes ago, ally_uk said: Get it back to basics! New Director of Football with direction and philosophy. Manager on the same wavelength Coaches who are capable of coaching. New Scouting Setup, let's not dress it up they have failed miserably this season! Already done with Johannes Spors as technical director. He is overseeing recruitment and football philosophy. Different clubs allocate different duties to technical directors/directors of football , they arent always like for like. With Spors joining I think that issue is now potentially resolved.
saintant Posted Sunday at 10:04 Posted Sunday at 10:04 59 minutes ago, ally_uk said: My Thoughts on Saints. Looks like a few bad apples are still sour over Martin’s departure. Take Downes, for example — throwing his toys out of the pram after being denied a move to Ipswich. Adam Armstrong, Fraser, and Archer — all feeling a bit rattled too. Personally, I think the lads had it easy under Martin — he was too matey with the players. Juric has come in, ruffled a few feathers, and set higher standards. Now a few players with weak mentalities / stubbornness to change are throwing hissy fits. In the grand scheme of things, this is a golden opportunity to clear out the toxic individuals and bottle jobs. Sell anyone who doesn't give 100% in training or refuses to commit to new philosophies and ways of playing. No room for passengers. Players like Downes whinging? If it carries on, stick them in the reserves and fine them — make an example of it. Can we get some clarity on the Bella-Kotchap situation? Does he actually want to play for us, or is he just giving it the Bobby Big Bollocks? Lastly, can we get an update on Ross Stewart? Is the man actually capable of stepping on a blade of grass without shattering? Moving forwards: Clear the decks — sell anyone who lacks commitment or heart. If we can build around Tyler Dibling and Fernandes realistically I can't see both staying but they are highlights in what has been a shit season and the future of out club Bring in a couple of experienced players with aggression, leadership, grit, and steel. We need proper units — athletes with real presence and engines who can run allday look at the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and some of the build and height and presence of players in the Newcastle team as a example, big strong lads! No nonsense or pissing about straight in with the tough tackling Right now, players like Smallbone look like kids on the pitch, getting dispossessed by a gust of wind, let alone the opposition. Far too lightweight for the Premier League. Get it back to basics! New Director of Football with direction and philosophy. Manager on the same wavelength Coaches who are capable of coaching. New Scouting Setup, let's not dress it up they have failed miserably this season! Good post with many points right on the money. 2
Saint Fan CaM Posted Sunday at 10:29 Posted Sunday at 10:29 To answer the question in the thread title, I would say spiralling downwards based on all available evidence. 1
Fitzhugh Fella Posted Sunday at 11:46 Posted Sunday at 11:46 1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said: Already done with Johannes Spors as technical director. He is overseeing recruitment and football philosophy. Different clubs allocate different duties to technical directors/directors of football , they arent always like for like. With Spors joining I think that issue is now potentially resolved. Now there's trust for you - our problem is "potentially" solved. Hmm my faith in SR republic recruitment is not as robust as yours. 2
Matthew Le God Posted Sunday at 11:50 Posted Sunday at 11:50 2 minutes ago, Fitzhugh Fella said: Now there's trust for you - our problem is "potentially" solved. Hmm my faith in SR republic recruitment is not as robust as yours. I did not say it had been solved. Which is why I used the word potentially. No guarantee it'll work out at Saints, but do you not agree Spors' CV looks strong? 1 1
Whitey Grandad Posted Sunday at 11:57 Posted Sunday at 11:57 “Moving Forwards” ? We don’t have any forwards who can move. In fact, we don’t have any forwards. 😕 2 7
S-Clarke Posted Sunday at 11:59 Posted Sunday at 11:59 8 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said: I did not say it had been solved. Which is why I used the word potentially. No guarantee it'll work out at Saints, but do you not agree Spors' CV looks strong? We need more than just Spors, he now needs free reign to build a football structure around him (inc. scouting and analysts). I'd agree that Spors is a positive step in the right direction, but it's only the start of what I hope to see before we see any real gains. 2
S-Clarke Posted Sunday at 12:09 Posted Sunday at 12:09 (edited) 3 hours ago, ally_uk said: My Thoughts on Saints. Looks like a few bad apples are still sour over Martin’s departure. Take Downes, for example — throwing his toys out of the pram after being denied a move to Ipswich. Adam Armstrong, Fraser, and Archer — all feeling a bit rattled too. Personally, I think the lads had it easy under Martin — he was too matey with the players. Juric has come in, ruffled a few feathers, and set higher standards. Now a few players with weak mentalities / stubbornness to change are throwing hissy fits. In the grand scheme of things, this is a golden opportunity to clear out the toxic individuals and bottle jobs. Sell anyone who doesn't give 100% in training or refuses to commit to new philosophies and ways of playing. No room for passengers. Players like Downes whinging? If it carries on, stick them in the reserves and fine them — make an example of it. Can we get some clarity on the Bella-Kotchap situation? Does he actually want to play for us, or is he just giving it the Bobby Big Bollocks? Lastly, can we get an update on Ross Stewart? Is the man actually capable of stepping on a blade of grass without shattering? Moving forwards: Clear the decks — sell anyone who lacks commitment or heart. If we can build around Tyler Dibling and Fernandes realistically I can't see both staying but they are highlights in what has been a shit season and the future of out club Bring in a couple of experienced players with aggression, leadership, grit, and steel. We need proper units — athletes with real presence and engines who can run allday look at the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and some of the build and height and presence of players in the Newcastle team as a example, big strong lads! No nonsense or pissing about straight in with the tough tackling Right now, players like Smallbone look like kids on the pitch, getting dispossessed by a gust of wind, let alone the opposition. Far too lightweight for the Premier League. Get it back to basics! New Director of Football with direction and philosophy. Manager on the same wavelength Coaches who are capable of coaching. New Scouting Setup, let's not dress it up they have failed miserably this season! Good post ally, lots of good points there. There has always been a desire to over complicate things at Southampton though, or we try to proclaim we are reinventing the wheel. That's been the case with Clive Woodward becoming our DoF, or selling all of our first team and trying to compete in the Champ with teenagers, or believing we can be successful with just passing the football - ignoring any physical requirements. At the end of the day, football is simple. It's about scoring more goals that the opposition, and letting in less than them. Picking players to achieve those things isn't as simple, but following the principles of buying good players with the right attributes and putting them into positions they are comfortable in would be a start. There was an element of arrogance coming into this season, believing our own hype and that ''pass, pass, pass'' would surprise everyone in the top flight. It really isn't revolutionary, and when you're trying to do that in the Top Flight with Smallbone, Stephens, Aribo, Armstrong, Fraser etc then you are utterly foolish really. There will be a big reset in the summer, both of philosophy and player. I expect a bigger exodus than last time and we won't be left with 'PL' players as we were last time out (such as Adams, Bednarek, KWP etc). It's not going to be an easy ride back, and it may take some time, but this summer needs to be the opportunity we start turning this club around and getting back to the basics. All eyes are on SR now, they either start doing the right things or they screw up again - and if they screw up again, they've got to go. Edited Sunday at 12:10 by S-Clarke 9
LeBizzier69 Posted Monday at 09:32 Posted Monday at 09:32 21 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said: “Moving Forwards” ? We don’t have any forwards who can move. In fact, we don’t have any forwards. 😕 Playing forwards would be a good start!
Whitey Grandad Posted Monday at 11:24 Posted Monday at 11:24 1 hour ago, LeBizzier69 said: Playing forwards would be a good start! Indeed. Especially forwards who run forwards. 1
Give it to Ron Posted Monday at 13:48 Posted Monday at 13:48 On 09/02/2025 at 11:50, Matthew Le God said: I did not say it had been solved. Which is why I used the word potentially. No guarantee it'll work out at Saints, but do you not agree Spors' CV looks strong? What experience does he have in England? The top 2 divisions are miles apart does he have the knowledge to ensure the cluster fuck our recruitment has been will ‘potentially’ be solved next season? 1
OttawaSaint Posted Monday at 14:22 Posted Monday at 14:22 On 09/02/2025 at 04:04, ally_uk said: My Thoughts on Saints. Looks like a few bad apples are still sour over Martin’s departure. Take Downes, for example — throwing his toys out of the pram after being denied a move to Ipswich. Adam Armstrong, Fraser, and Archer — all feeling a bit rattled too. Personally, I think the lads had it easy under Martin — he was too matey with the players. Juric has come in, ruffled a few feathers, and set higher standards. Now a few players with weak mentalities / stubbornness to change are throwing hissy fits. In the grand scheme of things, this is a golden opportunity to clear out the toxic individuals and bottle jobs. Sell anyone who doesn't give 100% in training or refuses to commit to new philosophies and ways of playing. No room for passengers. Players like Downes whinging? If it carries on, stick them in the reserves and fine them — make an example of it. Can we get some clarity on the Bella-Kotchap situation? Does he actually want to play for us, or is he just giving it the Bobby Big Bollocks? Lastly, can we get an update on Ross Stewart? Is the man actually capable of stepping on a blade of grass without shattering? Moving forwards: Clear the decks — sell anyone who lacks commitment or heart. If we can build around Tyler Dibling and Fernandes realistically I can't see both staying but they are highlights in what has been a shit season and the future of out club Bring in a couple of experienced players with aggression, leadership, grit, and steel. We need proper units — athletes with real presence and engines who can run allday look at the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and some of the build and height and presence of players in the Newcastle team as a example, big strong lads! No nonsense or pissing about straight in with the tough tackling Right now, players like Smallbone look like kids on the pitch, getting dispossessed by a gust of wind, let alone the opposition. Far too lightweight for the Premier League. Get it back to basics! New Director of Football with direction and philosophy. Manager on the same wavelength Coaches who are capable of coaching. New Scouting Setup, let's not dress it up they have failed miserably this season! I like this post a lot. Agree with all of it! We've been taken for mugs by managers and players for too long now. 2
Daft Kerplunk Posted Monday at 14:24 Posted Monday at 14:24 Please, no more moving forwards! Same with that sign on St. Mary's under what we can call the style over substance marketing speak era said 'We keep moving forwards.' Yes, we know, you keep moving forwards and now we have nobody left who can score goals 😂 The real question is what will we do in the future now we have seemingly stopped moving forward. There are still many remnants of failed eras at Saints to be that positive, as well as the seemingly useless owners who were going to move us forward to the next level.
Matthew Le God Posted Monday at 16:24 Posted Monday at 16:24 (edited) 6 hours ago, Give it to Ron said: What experience does he have in England? The top 2 divisions are miles apart does he have the knowledge to ensure the cluster fuck our recruitment has been will ‘potentially’ be solved next season? He had good experience in two major European leagues. He doesn't need experience in England to be effective for us. Edited Monday at 19:55 by Matthew Le God 1 1
Convict Colony Posted Monday at 19:25 Posted Monday at 19:25 What is going on with thread titles recently! It must be the championship excitement. This one sounds like we are getting divorced and are about to tell the kids. Anyway we will survive and yet again during the summer we will be filled by hope before the soul destroying reality of our team hits home and we each find our own coping mechanism of choice for the remainder of the season. 1
OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint Posted Monday at 19:26 Posted Monday at 19:26 Presumably Spors will take a few weeks to understand the lie of the land, but then what does he do? Apparently, his expertise is talent identification, recruitment strategy and squad development, so does he go out finding players himself or does he use existing scouts? Our previous talent identification expert (Wilcox) only seemed to raid Man City for youth, bring in Sulemana and Ross Stewart, so I hope he does more than target his contacts at Genoa. And is recruitment strategy based on a style of play (we read he likes the high press) and does squad development involve building up a supply chain of players through Staplewood again. He is going to be based there. My wish is that he identifies and brings in players who will form the spine of our team. We didn't do that last summer and recruitment to the outsider like me seemed scatter-gunned at best.
Gloucester Saint Posted Monday at 19:51 Posted Monday at 19:51 3 hours ago, Matthew Le God said: He had good experience on two major European leagues. He doesn't need experience in England to be effective for us. I didn’t even need to login to guess who the confused emoji reaction was from…. 3
die Mannyschaft Posted Monday at 20:26 Posted Monday at 20:26 Saints need to go to the championship supermarket and pickup a cheap but quality manager that has real experience of football tactics not including what we play now. Look on the bargain shelf and get players who can score 20 goals not 2. Visit Plymouth and watch real football then apply it to Saints first match next season. 2
suewhistle Posted Monday at 21:37 Posted Monday at 21:37 I thought we'd done a lot of moving forwards recently? One to Torino, to West Brom, Sheffield, the physio's room again for two weeks.. Shame none of them have been replaced.
OneMrsWallace Posted Monday at 22:03 Posted Monday at 22:03 Good post and agree with pretty much all of it. Especially the lack of power and psychality, feels like that's been lacking for a few years. It was pretty evident in the opening game against Forest that the established teams were a step above us in every department. Next season has to be last chance saloon for SR, whose grades across the last three seasons are E, B minus (Should have been A) and a big fat F.
woodsaint1 Posted Monday at 22:15 Posted Monday at 22:15 We start by identifying our next manager to get us promoted from the Championship. Based on performances so far, it isnt Juric. Imo it also isnt Rohl. If he wasnt Ralph's former assistant, he wouldnt even be on our radar. With Spors in position, we also start identifying a list of players who can help us get promoted, but more importantly provide the foundations for a team capable of avoiding relegation the next time we come up. Too much loyalty was shown to players who failed in the PL before, so the clear out needs to begin 2
Weston Super Saint Posted Tuesday at 07:08 Posted Tuesday at 07:08 16 hours ago, Daft Kerplunk said: Please, no more moving forwards! Same with that sign on St. Mary's under what we can call the style over substance marketing speak era said 'We keep moving forwards.' Yes, we know, you keep moving forwards and now we have nobody left who can score goals 😂 The real question is what will we do in the future now we have seemingly stopped moving forward. There are still many remnants of failed eras at Saints to be that positive, as well as the seemingly useless owners who were going to move us forward to the next level. We march on.
Sunglasses Ron Posted Tuesday at 07:58 Posted Tuesday at 07:58 On 09/02/2025 at 09:06, SaintNewForest said: Downes is training with the U21s as far as I know, so that's a good start if he's acting the prick. What did the poor U21s do to deserve him?
Whitey Grandad Posted Tuesday at 09:30 Posted Tuesday at 09:30 1 hour ago, Sunglasses Ron said: What did the poor U21s do to deserve him? He’s teaching them how to sulk. 1 2
macca155 Posted Tuesday at 12:06 Posted Tuesday at 12:06 Good opening post, hard to disagree with any of that, or subsequent posters. There are some good innovative managers in the Championship and beyond. Sadly there are useless ones as well. SR need to be sensible for once in who they select. I'm not so concerned about players. They won't all leave and in Wood, Charles, Edwards, Ballard, O'Brien-Whitmarsh, and maybe Robinson there is an opportunity to start building a new dynasty. Promotion is obviously important, but next season has to be entertaining as well. Perhaps the odd attack would be nice. Saints fans need to feel some love, because otherwise the club will start spiralling on and off the field. 4
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